Equality Labs

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Equality Labs is a South-Asian Ambedkarite organisation co-founded by Thenmozhi Soundararajan in 2015.[1][2][3] The organisation focuses on addressing caste discrimination within the South Asian diaspora and has conducted significant research on the issue.[4] They released a groundbreaking report in 2016, presenting the first-ever survey on caste and caste discrimination in the US. Equality Labs has actively advocated for marginalized communities, shedding light on pervasive caste discrimination experienced by Dalits and other marginalized groups, including on college campuses.[5] Additionally, they have conducted research on hate speech and disinformation on platforms like Facebook India, calling for stronger content moderation policies to address targeted hate speech against marginalized communities.[6][7][8][9]

Background[edit]

In 2016, Equality Labs conducted the first poll on caste discrimination in the United States, exposing the extent to which the South Asian diaspora in America is affected by this issue.[10] According to the report, a considerable number of Dalits (those who are deemed "untouchable" in the caste system) face prejudice and violence as a result of their caste, both at employment and in school. In partnership with Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal's office, Equality Labs and its partners arranged the first congressional briefing on caste discrimination in 2019. The purpose of the briefing was to educate politicians about the incidence and impact of caste discrimination in the United States, as well as to push for policies and legislation that address this issue.[11] During the briefing, the panelists shed light on the ubiquitous nature of caste prejudice and the need for a better understanding of how caste functions among the South Asian diaspora in the United States throughout the briefing.[12] Equality Labs has performed hate speech and misinformation research on Facebook India, discovering that Islamophobic content was the most prominent type of hate speech, followed by casteist hate speech, fake news, and gender/sexuality-related hate speech.[13]

In addition, Equality Labs has highlighted the prevalence of disinformation in Asian American and Pacific-Islander communities. A report it published in 2022 discusses how false information is used to pit underprivileged groups against one another, perpetuate tensions within communities, and contribute to the maintenance of white supremacy. The report cites examples of disinformation, such as the Men's Rights Asians movement and Hindu nationalism in India.[14]

In 2023, Equality Labs was part of a coalition introduced by Kshama Sawant testifying in support of an ordinance in Seattle to ban caste-based discrimination and add caste as a protected category to the Seattle Equal Rights law.[15][16] A similar bill introduced by Aisha Wahab based on the report by Equality Labs has passed the Senate Judiciary Committee to add caste as a protected category in the Unruh Civil Rights Act.[17][18][19]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "A discriminatory affair: How Dalit advocacy group Equality Labs portrays Hindu religion as irredeemable in US". Firstpost. 2023-04-11. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  2. ^ urmimukherjee (2023-04-10). "What it took for the West to wake up and notice casteism". The Federal. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  3. ^ "Equality Labs and Neelam join hands for concert against casteism in big tech". The News Minute. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  4. ^ "Cisco, Caste Discrimination and the Endurance of Denial in Overseas Indians". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  5. ^ "Caste Bias Isn't Illegal in the United States. But This University Is Trying to Fight It". Pulitzer Center. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  6. ^ Rajagopalan, Megha (2019-06-12). "Facebook Failed To Delete 93% Of Posts Containing Speech Violating Its Own Rules In India". BuzzFeed News. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  7. ^ "It Was Already Dangerous To Be Muslim in India. Then Came the Coronavirus". Time. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  8. ^ "India ruling party denies preferential treatment by Facebook". NBC News. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  9. ^ "Indian MPs grill Facebook over hate speech, allegations of bias". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  10. ^ "Seattle Becomes First U.S. City to Ban Caste Discrimination". Time. 2023-02-23. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  11. ^ "A Dalit Activist Wants to Heal Caste Prejudice". Harper's BAZAAR. 2022-12-16. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  12. ^ "A Historic Congressional Hearing on Caste in the US". The Wire. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  13. ^ "'Islamophobia in 37% of hate speech, disinformation on Facebook'". The Indian Express. 2019-06-11. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  14. ^ "Racist and sexist disinformation is sowing divisions among Asian Americans". NBC News. 12 August 2022. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  15. ^ Murray, Conor. "Seattle Bans Caste Discrimination: What That Means And Why The Movement Against Social Stratification Is Growing". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
  16. ^ "Meet the Activist Coalition That Outlawed Caste Discrimination in Seattle". In These Times. 3 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  17. ^ "Statement from North Atlantic Books: We Stand with Thenmozhi Soundararajan". North Atlantic Books. 2023-04-10. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  18. ^ "California State Senate Passes Bill Banning Caste-Based Discrimination With Overwhelming Support". Outlook India. 12 May 2023.
  19. ^ "California Senate panel advances bill to ban caste discrimination". The Times of India. 2023-04-27. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2023-05-16.
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